The present invention relates to vehicle assist straps and a mounting system for the assist strap. Typically, assist straps include a main strength-imparting member which has exposed ends and a decorative covering intermediate the ends. The ends are fastened to a mounting surface of a vehicle by screws or the like. When only one screw is used at each end of the strap, an anti-rotation member is typically provided to restrain the strap end from rotation relative to the mounting surface. The anti-rotation member may also function as a stand-off when the mounting surface is heavily padded. In one prior art application of such assist straps in which the assist strap was mounted to the roof of the vehicle above the door, a square nut was welded to the inside roof panel and the anti-rotation member mated with one edge and two corners of the nut to prevent rotation between the anti-rotation member and the nut. Additionally, the anti-rotation member was provided with two parallel shoulders positioned on opposite lateral sides of the strap end to prevent rotation of the strap end relative to the anti-rotation member, and hence relative to the nut. In this prior art application, the anti-rotation member served as a stand-off to accommodate the headliner. The anti-rotation member included means for attaching a cover which concealed only part of the anti-rotation member. Particularly, the laterally outward portions of the anti-rotation member and the fore and aft portions thereof extended beyond the cover so as to be in plain view. This prior art anti-rotation member included an annular boss or projection which was positioned within a fastener opening in the strap end and thereafter spun over by a separate manufacturing step to secure the anti-rotation member to the strap end.
Since the lateral sides and the fore and aft portions of the anti-rotation member were exposed to view, this prior art anti-rotation member was manufactured of a material and by a process which provided smooth exposed surfaces. Additionally, the part was chrome plated to enhance its appearance. The manufacturing costs of the prior art anti-rotation member were quite high due to the necessity of producing an acceptable finish on the portions thereof which were exposed to view, both due to the material which must be used to provide appropriate surface finishes and due to the manufacturing processes and machines which must be used to produce a surface of acceptable smoothness. The additional chrome plating step added further expense. Finally, the additional step required to spin over the projection to secure the strap end to the anti-rotation member added still further expenses and assembly time. These high costs of manufacture of the prior art strap, having the aforedescribed anti-rotation member, effectively restricted the use of this strap to relatively expensive vehicles.
The present invention provides an assist strap and fastening system therefor which makes use of a novel anti-rotation member which considerably reduces the cost of the assist strap and fastening system to enable the use of such assist straps on a much wider range of vehicles. The novel anti-rotation member of this invention is configured in a manner to cooperate with the strap end, the fastener, and the cover so that the cover completely conceals tha anti-rotation member, the fastener, and the strap end. The anti-rotation member of this invention can also serve a stand-off function when the mounting surface is heavily padded.
Since the novel anti-rotation member of this invention, and the combination of the anti-rotation member with the strap end, fastener, and cover enables the anti-rotation member to be completely concealed by the cover, the anti-rotation member can be fabricated of relatively inexpensive materials. Furthermore, it may be fabricated on high volume production machines which are known to produce surfaces unsuitable for plating or exposed applications. Moreover, the present invention provides a novel anti-rotation member and combination of that member with the strap end so that the strap end may be secured to the anti-rotation member in its operative position by merely inserting the strap end into a slot or aperture in the anti-rotation member. More particularly, the anti-rotation member can be formed of a somewhat resilient material such as a strong plastic and provided with flanges which overlie the strap end and a projection which cooperates with the opening in the strap end so that insertion of the strap end into the anti-rotation member causes the projection to be snapped into the opening in the strap end with the overlying flanges holding the strap end in that position.
The use of an anti-rotation member according to this invention, and a combination of that anti-rotation member with a strap end, fastener, and cover as described herein provides an assist strap and fastening system which can be manufactured at much lower cost than prior art correlative assist straps and fastening systems. Therefore, the assist strap and fastening system of this invention can be used on a wide range of vehicles thus conferring the benefit of such assist straps to a greater number of vehicle users.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.